Please Help I am Confused ,,, VBG TO BYPASS

Mark

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Joined
Jan 2, 2015
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9
Hello Everybody,
My Name is Mark from California, I am New to BF, and I am Actually looking for help
I had Vertical banded gastroplasty (VBG) in February 14th. 2005 since 10 Years a go (the Operation done using laparoscopic ) and the surgeon used the old style band it's Called MESH , in the first 4 years after the surgery everything was fine , I lost some of my weight but within the 5th. year everything has been changed , I can eat a solid food way more than before and, sometimes i feel that nothing is inside any more and I can eat whatever i want with any quantity , to make the story short , I gain all my weight back and more , ending up with 340 LB., Which makes me so disappointed , and sometimes run away to be alone as much as i can , I don't want to talk to any one and sometimes I wish to die , I thought the Only way which is could help me to do a revision for my old VBG , I am a Self Pay so there is No Insurance will cover this , I started to talk with some surgeons outside the US like in Mexico , but every body said the Only safe revision for old VBG it the bypass , and when I look around and find a lot of people seeking a revision for failed RNY bypass, I feel like I don't want to go through this any More , Please Advice I am so depressed and I am waiting for some reply's to cheer me up
 
I don't know a ton of info about the VBG, but I believe @Barb1 and @jillc are revisions from VBG to duodenal switch. I would think that would be a MUCH better option for you, if not your only option for long-term success. You MUST seek out an experienced surgeon as his can be a complicated procedure, especially if your stomach is damaged from the VBG. Look up Dr. Keshishian in CA, Dr. Greenbaum in NJ and I believe there's one in Mexico, Dr. Ungson?
 
Hi again Mark (I said Hi on your other thread as well).

Don't give up hope! First, let me say that VBG is a crappy operation, with such poor results that it is no longer considered a standard of care bariatric operation. It is even possible (obviously I have no way of knowing) that your VBG has come apart, in the sense that you may have a connection between the banded portion of the stomach and the rest of your stomach, which would render the entire VBG useless. This type of failure is one of the reasons the overall results of this operation are so poor. So please understand that YOU didn't fail, the operation is prone to failure and THE OPERATION failed.

Next, VBG can sometimes, at least, be revised to DS, but this should only be attempted by a very experienced DS surgeon who does lots of revision surgery. Since you are in CA, you have two excellent options. They are Dr. John Rabkin of Pacific Laparoscopy in San Francisco and Dr. Ara Keshishian in Glendale. I have no idea which one is closer to you or which one would cost less for a self-pay. You would need to contact them and ask.

The mesh may or may not cause problems. There can be ingrowth of tissue (in this case stomach) into the mesh that can make it very difficult to remove, and even when removed it can leave behind scarring and damage. So I don't know what will be possible for you and what won't. I do know that both of these surgeons are very, very experienced with revisions and if anyone can help you, they are the ones. This is definitely not something you should have done in Mexico. I have recommended Dr. Ungson in Mexico for many people for a virgin DS or for lap band and sleeve revisions to DS, but VBG is a whole different animal.

On a positive note, Jill, who posts here, recently had her old VBG successfully revised to DS by Dr. Greenbaum in NJ, so I'm hopeful for you as well.
 
@brooklyngirl I know that Dr. Ungson doesn't do RNY to DS revisions and doubt that he does VBG to DS revisions, though I don't know for sure. @Mark could always ask him, but I'm very doubtful.
 
"I am a Self Pay so there is No Insurance will cover this."

What is your current insurance situation, exactly? You are in California, and my understanding is that the Covered California plans are regulated by the CA Dept. of Managed Health Care, which are very DS-friendly, so long as there isn't a contractual exclusion. If you are eligible for a Covered CA plan, you MIGHT want to consider switching to one of them - open enrollment for Covered CA goes until Feb 15th. However, you MUST look at the plans to see whether bariatric surgery is covered, which I'm not sure about, or - and this depends on whether you are having symptoms such as frequent vomiting - you may have a situation that requires surgery to correct complications, even though bariatric surgery is generally not covered.
 
There is a member that the surgeon left her VBG and did the intestinal portion of the DS. I believe she lost all of her EW. Hopefully she will respond
@Mary_J
 
I don't know a ton of info about the VBG, but I believe @Barb1 and @jillc are revisions from VBG to duodenal switch. I would think that would be a MUCH better option for you, if not your only option for long-term success. You MUST seek out an experienced surgeon as his can be a complicated procedure, especially if your stomach is damaged from the VBG. Look up Dr. Keshishian in CA, Dr. Greenbaum in NJ and I believe there's one in Mexico, Dr. Ungson?
-Thanks brooklyngirl for your reply, yes I did asked Dr. Ugson Coordinator her name is Wyyn about this and she told me we are not performing VBG to DS , since we are not able to sleeve the upper part the Only Safe Operation the RNY bypass .
 
@Mark, now we all know, and this info may save others the time and trouble of looking for VBG to DS revision in Mexico. @DianaCox has given you some ideas for exploring possible insurance coverage in CA, and the two surgeons I already mentioned are your only options for surgeons in CA who could do this type of revision. What is your insurance situation? Hopefully we can help you sort this out. And even if you are still self-pay at least now you know what your resources are.
 
Hi @Mark, welcome. I also had the mesh as my surgery was in 1988. Ungson will revise the silicone VBG but not the mesh like us. Since you are in California, Rabkin and Kesheshian are great surgeons, but if you can't afford their price and can't use insurance (see if Diana Cox above can help you - she's wonderful at getting insurance companies to help when they don't want to) Greenbaum in NJ has a great self-pay price.
It sounds like you might have blown part or all your staple line if you're not feeling any restriction. Even if you hadn't, as Larra said, the VBG is one of the WORST surgeries around. It creates the owner of it to maladaptively eat (eating mostly soft foods) so they avoid blockages/don't throw up. Some studies have shown that it slows down the metabolism. IT IS NOT YOUR FAULT. The surgery has failed you, not vice versa. I'm actually surprised that it was still in use in 2005, and using mesh at that time.
Until I started researching revision surgery, I had this dirty little secret for years (26 to be exact) thinking that *I* was the failure.
I wish you good luck on this journey. I have a post where I detailed the best revision surgeon's prices - http://bariatricfacts.org/threads/vbg-to-ds-revision-s-surgeon-decisions.1576/
 
@DianaCox I tried to quote you here and probably failed. I'm still not very tech functional. I wanted to say that Mary's continued vomiting may be related to leftover scar tissue from the VBG. Sometimes not everything can be fixed. However, as I recall, she had lots of problems with vomiting before her revision also, so at least now her overall situation is improved.
 
@Mark I am also a revision from VBG to DS. The VBG failed me miserably. I was doomed from the beginning and did nothing but throw up for years. In the end my VBG mesh started breaking down but at the very top. Take this from someone who learned first hand do not go to any surgeon but the ones that have been recommended. I had insurance but it wasn't accepted by the Dr. Keshishian, Dr. Rabbkin or Dr. Greenbaum. I also could not afford to travel or self pay so I went to a surgeon that had done a few VBG to DS revisions. That was in 10/2010. I had problems from the get go was still throwing up and it ended up not healing correctly. In 9/2013 I had good insurance and money to travel so I went to Dr. Keshishian. Go see him if you can. You will never regret it! It took a while but life is finally normal, I don't throw up and I weigh 140lbs.

I don't believe your surgery would be considered a revision if your stable line is/has broke down. I know mine wasn't coded as one. A GI doctor should be able to do a scope and see if it has. At least in my case they could.

Don't be down or depressed because none of this is your fault! The VBG is/was a terrible surgery! We are here to cheer you up, cheer you on and help in any way we can. The people here are brutally honest but the most supportive, knowledgeable, and smartest you will find. Listen to the vets and you will do fine!
Barb
 
@Mark I am also a revision from VBG to DS. The VBG failed me miserably. I was doomed from the beginning and did nothing but throw up for years. In the end my VBG mesh started breaking down but at the very top. Take this from someone who learned first hand do not go to any surgeon but the ones that have been recommended. I had insurance but it wasn't accepted by the Dr. Keshishian, Dr. Rabbkin or Dr. Greenbaum. I also could not afford to travel or self pay so I went to a surgeon that had done a few VBG to DS revisions. That was in 10/2010. I had problems from the get go was still throwing up and it ended up not healing correctly. In 9/2013 I had good insurance and money to travel so I went to Dr. Keshishian. Go see him if you can. You will never regret it! It took a while but life is finally normal, I don't throw up and I weigh 140lbs.

I don't believe your surgery would be considered a revision if your stable line is/has broke down. I know mine wasn't coded as one. A GI doctor should be able to do a scope and see if it has. At least in my case they could.

Don't be down or depressed because none of this is your fault! The VBG is/was a terrible surgery! We are here to cheer you up, cheer you on and help in any way we can. The people here are brutally honest but the most supportive, knowledgeable, and smartest you will find. Listen to the vets and you will do fine!
Barb

Hi Barb,
Sorry it's been a while to reply , but I was out of the country, your words so amazing ,Thank You., I went with your advice and I called dr. K and I set up an Appointment with him within the next week hopefully everything go fine
I will keep posted for others to let them know
 

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